This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for loading a photosensitive recording sheet to an image forming apparatus in which the photosensitive recording sheet drawn out of a supplying roll is subjected to exposure development and fixing operations, and then sucessively wound around a take-up roll.
A photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet has been known as a recording medium, and is described in detail in Japenese Patent Application Kokai No. 58-17432. The photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet is coated with photo-curing microcapsules containing chromogenic materials or dye precursors therein, so that an image on an image-carrying sheet is recorded upon photo-curing of the microcapsules when exposed to light. The photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet on which such latent image is recorded is brought into contact with a developer sheet under a pressure supplied by a pair of pressure-developing rollers. As this time, those microcapsules which are not subjected to photo-curing are ruptured by the pressure and the dye precursors from the ruptured microcapsules are reacted with developer material in the developer sheet, whereby the latent image on the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet is copied to the developer sheet, so that a visible image is provided thereon. Such type of operation is generally referred to as a transfer type recording, and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,209.
The photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet is succesively drawn out of the supplying roll and is wound over the take-up roll while subjected to the exposure and pressure-developing operations. Therefore, when the supplying roll is consumed, it is necessary to exchange the consumed photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet for a new one.
When the consumed photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet is exchanged for a new one, the conventional apparatus as described above has the following disadvantages; it is more difficult to pass the new photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet through a sheet carrying portion (between a pair of sheet carrying rollers), a developing portion (between a pair of pressure-developing rollers) and a fixing portion (between a pair of heat-fixing rollers) because gaps between the respective pairs of rollers are considerably narrow; and it is accompanied by a risk to manually insert the photosensitive and pressure-sensitive recording sheet into the sheet carrying portion, the development portion and the fixing portion which are located proximately to units supplied with high voltage and portions at high temperature.